


Life with Zack

by ladymcgilvra



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Sad and Happy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:21:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28091577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladymcgilvra/pseuds/ladymcgilvra
Summary: Having given up on his dreams of becoming a SOLDIER, 20 year old Cloud Strife lives with the love of his life, Zack, in a Midgar apartment. Five sad and one happy thing about their lives together.
Relationships: Zack Fair/Cloud Strife
Comments: 4
Kudos: 16
Collections: 2020 FF7 Secret Santa





	Life with Zack

**Author's Note:**

  * For [chanterai](https://archiveofourown.org/users/chanterai/gifts).



~1~

He turned the key and pushed open the door to their apartment, greeted only by darkness. Silence. Cloud had known it would be like this, Zack had sent him a message saying they had called him away on a mission. Still, he couldn’t stop that faint glimmer of hope each time. Maybe, just maybe, he would be home on time for once. Sometimes he wished just that he’d be home at all. Since Sephiroth had disappeared four years ago, Zack was being called away more and more often.

He flicked on the lights to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water. Was there any point in making dinner just for himself? He didn’t feel all that hungry. The worry was the worst bit. Would Zack be okay? Might he come back with another distressing injury? Would he even come back at all? That was always the biggest worry, wasn’t it? It didn’t matter how many assurances he gave him; he knew all too well how prone Zack was to being over optimistic.

Deflated, he plodded into their shared bedroom. The sheets were cold and the bed too big for just one person. Zack was larger than life in all ways, and it was the nights when he missed him the most.

~2~

The restaurant was busy this Friday evening. Cloud had been there for nine hours already, and he still had two to go before his shift ended. It was worth it though, Zack had planned a date for them this weekend, and he had needed to swap shifts in order to get the time off.

Evenings were his least favourite time to work. He had developed a much more social manner, at odds with the sulky teenager he had once been, but it still took a lot out of him. The overwhelming smells of cigarette smoke and wine were making him nauseous, too.

He deftly sidestepped to avoid the grasping hand of a drunk patron. There were upsides to working in such a high-class establishment, sure, but the clientele wasn’t one of them. They were entitled and rude, the management would always cave to them, and if you complained too often, you’d likely find yourself out of a job. Better to learn to stay out of the way of groping hands.

He groaned inwardly as he saw his new table. The young Vice-President, Rufus Shinra, sat there looking bored. Surrounding him were half a dozen hangers-on of various types. The one thing they would have in common, he would put money on it, was that they’d try to impress him by taking it out on the staff.

He took a deep breath.

“Good evening, would you like any drinks?”

~3~

“I am not quitting my job!”

Zack just sat there, gazing at him in a bemused fashion.

“Why not, don’t I earn enough for both of us?”

“That’s not the point, and you know it. We’ve talked about this before.”

Cloud was fuming. He just didn’t get it, didn’t understand how precarious Cloud’s sense of self-worth was. He certainly didn’t understand that, when faced with another man who had achieved everything he himself had ever wanted, he felt small and unworthy.

“Please, just let me contribute. Let me keep my pride at least.”

Without warning, he pulled him into a bear hug. Muffled, he could hear Zack apologising. How Cloud was everything to him, and how he was sorry he always forgot, and how he just wanted him to be happy.

He couldn’t help himself, he knew. He was always so enthusiastic, so optimistic, it was hard for him to envision what it was like to feel different.

~4~

The Shinra Spring Ball was not where he wanted to be. It was too hot and too noisy even in the massive space, filled with twittering socialites and still office workers. The infamous Turks prowled around the edges of the room, Zack had pointed them out to him once. 

Zack himself was, as always, the life of the party. So much so he had gained a ring of admirers six deep. Cloud couldn’t get near. Instead he watched, uncomfortable, as beautiful women and handsome men hung on his boyfriend’s every word. They took any opportunity to touch him, his chiselled face, his bulging muscles, his sable crown. Some were even bold enough to go for the scar on his jaw. Few knew how painful a memory that was. How later that night he would need to hold Zack as he sobbed, caught up in the memories of losing his beloved mentor.

For now, he must endure. Make small talk with faceless office drones and ignore the knowing smirks that the redheaded Turk kept throwing his way.

~5~

They were sitting on the sofa watching a movie. Well, Cloud was sitting, Zack sprawled across the rest of the space with his head resting in Cloud’s lap.

“Have you thought anymore about it?”

“Huh?” Cloud was surprised, he had thought Zack was asleep.

“About what you want to do. I know you want to work, but surely you don’t want to be a drinks server forever.”

He didn’t, that much he was sure of. But what did he want to do? The only dream he’d ever had was to be in SOLDIER and look how that had turned out. He worried about failing again. About putting his heart and soul into working to achieve something special. It wasn’t worth it.

Above all, he didn’t want to disappoint Zack.

“Not really.” was all he said.

~6~

He turned the key and pushed open the door to their apartment, greeted only by darkness. Silence. Cloud had known it would be like this, Zack had sent him a message saying they had called him away on a mission. By now he had given up hoping that he would be home, even if today had been his birthday. It seemed like even that had been forgotten, but his boyfriend was a very busy man. Couldn’t expect him to remember mundane little details like birthdays when you were out saving the world all the time.

He flicked on the lights.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”

Balloons, streamers, and too much glitter filled the living room. Those few people he could really call friends were grinning. And standing in the middle of it all, grinning like a loon, was Zack. Beautiful, infuriating, wonderful Zack.

“Happy birthday, Spikey,” he said as he pulled Cloud into a big hug. “You didn’t really think I’d miss you turning 21, do you?”

“I’d worried,” Cloud hedged. No point in putting a downer in the situation.

“Oh, you worrywart. Loosen up, things always work out.”

And with that, Zack kissed all his cares away.

  
  



End file.
